


The Hardest Part

by Nyehhh



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst probably, F/F, definitely a happy ending though, still undecided how this is going to play out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 13:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10190852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyehhh/pseuds/Nyehhh
Summary: Angela watched Fareeha grow up over the years, so when she sees how the once gawky teenager has become a confident, handsome soldier, she doesn't know what to do with these feelings.Honestly have no idea where I'm going with this story, getting back into fic writing after almost a decade. Writing might be a bit weird since I haven't written in this style for so long.





	1. Chapter 1

“Angela!” A loud voice rang out from across the helipad as Angela’s hair got tossed in all directions from the wind. She turned, expecting to see the only person she knows with that loud a voice, and she’s not disappointed.

“Reinhardt, it’s been too long.” Angela smiled as Reinhardt pulled her into a bone crushing hug, the smile quickly turning into a grimace. He placed her down, but not without thumping her back for good measure.

“Indeed, and look how much you’ve grown! I trust university is treating you well?” Reinhardt started towards the direction of the canteen, and Angela followed like a puppy, casting glances around as she scoffed.

“University is a chore, you know I only enrolled because everybody here wanted me to go. Nothing they teach me there is new knowledge to me, I daresay I could replace the professor if I wanted. And I'm so much younger than the people there, I can't click with any of them at all.”

Reinhardt laughed, a booming sound that reverberated through the hallways and echoed in the distance. “We all want a normal life for you, _suße_. Well, as normal as you can get anyway. After what happened…” His voice trailed off, unsure how to continue.

Angela smiled gently. “I know. My parents would have wanted me to go as well, and what better than to attend their alma mater?” Patting Reinhardt’s arm, she continues towards the canteen to avoid any further talk of her parents.

He seemed to understand, following silently. Throwing open the canteen doors, the scent of food and the chatter from the people inside washed over Angela as she stepped in.

“Angela!” Jesse McCree raised a hand in greeting, walking over quickly.

Angela wrapped her arms around him, laughing. “Jesse, how have you been?"

He grinned widely. "I’ve been good, training has been going really well. Bit lonely though, everybody else around here just doesn’t get me like you do. Well, except… But I suppose you should find out yourself.”

Angela raised an eyebrow as she looked around the canteen. “Did someone new join Overwatch?” Only the familiar people were there, and nothing seemed out of place.

Jesse led her to his table, where she greeted Gabriel, Jack and Torbjorn. They all replied warmly except Gabriel, but he was always gruff, preferring to speak as little as possible to anybody who wasn’t Jack or Ana.

Speaking of which, Angela hadn’t seen Ana around yet, and she craned her neck to try and spot a glimpse of the woman’s long black hair to no avail. Winston and Lena were sitting at another table, seemingly in a discussion about the chronal accelerator that they were gesturing at.

Torbjorn noticed her peering around, and chuckled. “Ana isn’t here, she’s… busy at the moment. But she should be back soon with the little tyke."

“Little tyke?” Angela echoed as her brain failed to come up with any explanations. Torbjorn exchanged amused glances with everybody at the table and shook his head. “You’ll see.”

Right on time, the doors swung open again and Ana came in, holding a girl by the hand. Angela’s eyes widened as she whispered to Reinhardt. “Ana has a daughter? How did I not know about this?” Her eyes followed the pair as they made their way to the table and took their seats.

“Angela.” Ana greeted her, a smile playing on her lips as she took in Angela’s surprised look. Next to her, the girl glanced at Angela and quickly averted her gaze once she made eye contact.

“Ana. And who’s this?” Angela held out a hand towards the girl, trying to appear unfazed by how the girl seemed almost… scared of her. Ana looked at the outstretched hand, then at the girl and nudged the girl slightly. Angela took the time to assess the girl. Black hair just like Ana's, tanned skin and long limbs that the girl seemed to not know how to maneuver gracefully yet.

“F… Fareeha Amari.” Without looking up, the girl thrust her hand into Angela’s and gave a quick shake before pulling her hand back and burying it into her lap. Angela felt a little disconcerted, she wasn’t that scary, was she?

Ana laughed and patted Angela on her shoulder. “Sorry about that. My baby’s still a bit shy around new people. I'm sure Fareeha will warm up to you once you two spend a little time together." Fareeha flushed red as she whispered into Ana's ear.

Ana nodded and Fareeha took off like a bullet, running out of the canteen. Angela's shoulders slumped in disappointment as she looked at the doors, "I guess I'm just not good with kids."

"Nonsense," Ana scoffed, "You're the closest in age to her, she's just shy. Give it a bit of time. Speaking of which, how long will you be here for?"

"A month and a half. My term holidays are two months, but I'd like to get a head start on the readings for next semester. They're doing really interesting things with nanotechnology that I think-" Angela was cut off with a groan by everybody else at the table.

-

Ana was wrong. It had been two weeks, and Fareeha was still as skittish around Angela as she was at the start. Aside from 'hello's and 'goodbye's, Fareeha had barely spoken more than five sentences to Angela, and whenever Angela happened to be in the same room as her, Fareeha would find an excuse to escape.

At this rate, Angela was rapidly losing hope that she would be able to make another friend that she could be comfortable with, like Jesse. Sighing, she left her room and walked to the gym.

She paused at the doors as she heard peals of laughter from inside the gym. Pushing the door open slightly, she peeked in to see Fareeha and Gabriel, play-wrestling on the mats. In all the time she had known the Overwatch members, she had never heard Gabriel laugh, or even do anything other than look surly.

But here he was, teaching Fareeha how to get out of a chokehold while joking and laughing with her. And in the two weeks she had been at the Gibraltar base, she hadn't seen this side of Fareeha. Suddenly feeling jealous that Fareeha could be so friendly with Gabriel but ran away whenever she was near, Angela left the gym, closing the door silently as she resolved to get Fareeha to warm up to her.

Making her way to Ana's room, she knocked hesitantly. Within a second, the door opened. "Angela, what can I do for you?" Ana stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind her.

"Um, I wanted to ask about Fareeha. What does she like, her hobbies, stuff like that?" Angela wrung her hands nervously. Ana stared at her with an inscrutable face, before cracking up.

"Oh Angela, you're adorable. I can see why Fareeha likes you so much." Ana beckoned for Angela to follow her into the room. Angela frowned, there was no way Fareeha _liked_ her. She ran away every time Angela was in the vicinity.

Ana and Angela sat on the chairs inside Ana's spartan room. Two chairs, a table, a bunk bed, a single wardrobe and a workstation that held Ana's rifle along with parts and tools, that was all she had.

"So, Fareeha. She likes soccer and basketball, she's a picky eater, always wanting Egyptian food. You could bribe her with potato chips though, she loves them. She's actually been around the Overwatch bases quite a bit, since she travels with me, but you two have never met because she was always visiting her father when you came to visit." Ana checked each point off her fingers.

Angela hesitated. "Her... father?" Ana's smile faded as she sighed. "We decided that it would be best for me to bring up Fareeha. She sees her father once or twice a year."

Nodding, Angela wisely decided not to prod any further. "Why does she run from me, Ana? Every time she sees me, it's like she's seen a ghost." Angela unconsciously pouted as she thought of all the times Fareeha had fled from her.

"Well, I could tell you, but don't let Fareeha know. She's extra shy around you because she admires you so much." Ana smiled conspiratorially as she leaned in and whispered it.

Angela blinked, confused. "Why would she admire me? I've done nothing at all."

"Oh Angela, how could I presume to tell you how a 13 year old thinks? You should be the one to figure her out, since you're closer to her age." Ana steeped her fingers together, smirking.

Angela shook her head and stood up. "Thanks for the help, Ana. I really want to be friends with Fareeha, so this should be helpful." Smiling, she left the room.

-

"Fareeha!" She froze as she heard her name from the very person she was trying desperately to avoid. Lowering her head to let her hair drape around her face, her eyes flickered around to find an escape route, but none was forthcoming.

"Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to catch the soccer match tonight with me." Fareeha looked up in surprise, how did Angela know that she enjoyed watching the sport?

Angela saw the shock in Fareeha's eyes and mentally slapped herself. Struggling to think of an excuse, she stammered. "I... I was complaining that I couldn't find anybody to watch this soccer match with, and Ana mentioned that you enjoy soccer, so I thought I would try asking you. It's okay if you don't want to though!"

Backing away, Angela turned to run to the safety of her room  _(_ _oh, the irony)_  when a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Okay." A quiet voice piped up from behind her as Angela exhaled a breath of relief.

-

Fareeha gave the room a cursory glance, before sinking into the sofa in front of the television in Angela's room. She had only agreed to it because no one else had the channel to watch the match, and she rubbed her hands together as she felt nervousness overcome her again.

"Pull it together. You can avoid being a bumbling fool around her for two hours. Nobody else has the channel so this is for the sake of the game." Fareeha muttered under her breath as she watched Angela flit around the room, preparing snacks and drinks.

Fareeha had avoided the older girl from the moment she saw her, scared that she would end up embarrassing herself in front of Angela. But she certainly couldn't avoid the thoughts that plagued her.

The beautiful blonde hair, her smooth skin and those blue eyes that would show how hurt Angela was whenever Fareeha ran away. Yet another reason why Fareeha could never make eye contact, she worried that she would never be able to look away. All the crushes that Fareeha had before paled in comparison to how beautiful Angela was.

"Fareeha, would you prefer chips or popcorn?" Angela was just as nervous, hoping that they would be able to finally break the ice over the match. She wasn't a big fan of soccer, having never understood the appeal of watching grown men chase each other over a ball, but she would put up with it if it meant that Fareeha would talk to her.

"Chips is fine, thank you." Did Fareeha always talk so softly, Angela wondered as she emptied a bag of potato chips into a bowl and grabbed two cans of drinks from the mini fridge.

Fareeha took the drink from her with a nod and shy smile, as she turned towards the television.

"Which team do you support?" Angela shook the bowl of chips in Fareeha's direction as she took a few and munched on them.

Fareeha didn't hesitate with her answer. "Arsenal!" She glanced over at Angela, seeing a blank look on her face. "Um, you know... The team in North London?"

Angela's mind was running overtime trying to think of an excuse. "I've heard of them, but I... I mostly watch the national teams! So I don't know much. I was referring to this match actually." Whew, that should do it, right?

Fareeha's eyes lit up. "Oh I could introduce them to you! I really enjoy their style of play, it's a little similar to Germany's, that's why I wanted to watch this match." She gestured at the television and the players clad in white currently dribbling the ball around.

Angela glanced at the television set, thankful for something that brought Fareeha out of her shell. "Sure, I'd love to hear more about them." Fareeha smiled then, a giant grin that made Angela unable to stop herself from smiling as well. It seemed that paying the exorbitant price for the soccer channel would be a worthwhile investment after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned in the summary, I don't really know how this story is going to end up. I have a vague idea of how it's going to go, but nothing concrete yet, so I'm open to suggestions! 
> 
> So after Michael Chu's panel at GDC 2017 where he said that Angela was visiting from university in that photo of her with the old Overwatch members, I decided that it was finally time for me to get off my lazy ass and start writing what I had envisioned. The timeline might be a bit screwed up with ages and stuff in the first few parts, sorry about that. 
> 
> And yes, I know that technology is probably advanced enough that there's probably a replacement for televisions, but I think there's something intimate about curling up on a couch in front of one with someone. Let me know if there are any mistakes in this chapter if you'd be so kind, I'm pretty blind to my own typos.


	2. Chapter 2

From then on, Fareeha spent almost every waking moment with Angela, and Angela was delighted that she had finally managed to gain Fareeha's trust. It got to the point when even Jesse was complaining that Angela never spent any time with him anymore.  

But when the time came for Angela to return to university, she found that it was exceedingly hard to leave Fareeha and Overwatch behind. After 6 weeks of being around people that she could be herself with, she felt depressed at the thought of having to return to being among people who could teach her nothing.  

She sighed as she trudged to the helicopter. "Angela!" She turned as she heard a shout from Fareeha. Dropping her duffel, she smiled as Fareeha came running to pull her into a tight hug. "Will you write to me? I'll miss watching soccer matches with you."  

Angela put a hand to her heart, faking hurt. "Is that all I am to you? Someone that you can watch soccer with? I'm hurt, Fareeha." 

Fareeha blushed. "No! I... I just-" Angela chuckled as she patted Fareeha on the head. "I know, _Schatzli_. I'll write for sure, don't you dare forget to write back." Hefting the bag over her shoulder, she clambered into the helicopter with a heavy heart.

-

Fareeha and Angela struck up an easy correspondence, letters sent every week with what the other had been up to. Months turned into years, and before long, Angela had graduated university with perfect grades. She let Overwatch know that she was returning, and she quickly left her university dorm room, grateful to be leaving. 

Once she reached the Overwatch base, she was quickly bombarded with messages of congratulations. But the one voice that she wanted to hear wasn't there. 

"Angela, let's go out for drinks tonight! It's on us, to celebrate your graduation." Jesse winked as Angela laughed. "Sure Jesse, if you promise I can just dump you at the bar when you get drunk."

Jesse sighed dramatically. "Oh Angela, how could you leave a damsel in distress behind?" He pretended to swoon as the others laughed at his antics. 

Angela laughed before turning to Ana. "Where's Fareeha? I don't seem to have seen her around." Ana smiled stiffly as she looked around discreetly before replying. "She's on vacation right now."

"Ah." Angela knew better than to continue the questioning, even though she was a little upset that Fareeha wouldn't be around to share in her joy. Which was ridiculous, since Fareeha wouldn't even be able to join them at the bar since she was too young. Angela shook her head at herself.

-

"Cheers!" Angela shook her head at Jesse, the drunk cowboy was encouraging her to drink yet another shot of tequila. She quickly downed it as she took a glance around the bar. 

Reinhardt was chugging yet another beer, typical for him. Gabriel and Jack were sitting in a corner, nursing their tumblers of whisky. Lena was leaning against a wall, chatting up a pretty brunette. Ana... was nowhere to be seen. 

"Where did Ana go?" Angela wasn't sure if Jesse would be sober enough to know, so when the next words came out of his mouth, she was startled. "Oh, she didn't tell you? Fareeha is coming to the base tonight. She probably sneaked away to fetch her. Don't think she's coming back to the bar though." 

Angela nodded, glad that she would get to see Fareeha the next morning. Even though they had been sending letters to each other, they hadn't met in over three years since Ana had decided to send Fareeha to school in Egypt so she could be more in touch with her roots. 

There had been a huge argument, even Gabriel had stood up for Fareeha and told Ana that it would be unfair to pull Fareeha out of an environment that she was comfortable with and dump her in Egypt without a parent to look after her. Ana had been adamant of course, and nothing anyone said could change her mind.

Fareeha had expressed her utmost displeasure in her letters, and she was terribly homesick for the first few months with only letters from Angela and the other Overwatch members to stave off the longing for home. Again, ironic since she was born in Egypt, Angela mused. 

- 

Carrying a drunk Jesse, Reinhardt bid the others farewell and went off to deposit Jesse in the correct room before retiring for the night. Jack and Gabriel left for their rooms and Winston headed for the pantry to grab a jar of peanut butter before continuing his research. 

Lena left the bar long before anybody else had, no doubt in the company of that brunette. Angela decided to head back to her room, Fareeha could wait until tomorrow when she was less tipsy. 

On her way to her room, Angela overheard voices in the pantry and went to investigate. 

"Mama, stop it. I'm 16, I can make my own sandwiches without you following me everywhere. I promise I won't cut myself and I won't burn down the base." A hint of impatience was obvious in the girl's voice, and Angela smiled. It seemed no one was immune to having their petulant stage as a teenager, Fareeha Amari included. 

Angela leaned against the wall, listening to the pair bicker inside on the right way to make a sandwich. She would give anything to be the one in there with her own mother. With a soft sigh, she pushed herself off the wall and continued to her room.

"Say, mama, what's Angela's favourite sandwich?" Fareeha tried to ask as casually as she could, spreading butter on a piece of bread. 

Ana smiled as she took a bite of her sandwich. "Cheese." 

"Just cheese?" 

"Swiss cheese of course. She's picky with her cheeses. Gruyere and Emmental, if I remember correctly."

Fareeha groaned. Swiss cheeses were going to cost a bomb, where was she going to find the money for it? Ana finished her sandwich and got up from the table. "Go to bed soon, habibti. It's late." 

Sighing, Fareeha scarfed down her sandwich and returned to her room. Picking through her luggage, she pulled out a box. She had wracked her brain for gift ideas after hearing from Ana that Angela was graduating soon. Thankfully she had her dad, and they had assembled the gift together. 

Fareeha clutched the box to her as she fell asleep, hoping that Angela would like it when she presented it tomorrow. 

-

"Angela!" Fareeha called out once she entered the pantry and saw the familiar blonde hair. Angela looked up and gave a weak smile before taking a sip from the steaming mug she cradled in her hands.

"Are... you alright?" Fareeha wasn't sure if she should approach Angela when the latter was obviously not a morning person. She tightened her grip on the box held behind her back. 

Angela didn't reply, downing the cup of coffee fresh from the machine. Sighing happily, she put the mug down and gestured for Fareeha to sit. "I'm okay, just needed my morning coffee before I felt up to talking. I'm glad you're here, I haven't seen you in forever."

Angela took in the sight of the girl. Several growth spurts had taken place, she was only two inches shorter than Angela. They were both still growing of course, but at the rate Fareeha was shooting up, she would have a good 4 inches on her. Her hair still had those gold beads that clinked gently every time she turned her head, and even though she had filled out nicely, she still tripped over her feet sometimes, seeming almost surprised by the length of her strides.  

Fareeha's face turned pink. "Same here. Glad to see you I mean, not that I need coffee. Anyway, congratulations on graduating. I got a gift for you." She pushed the box towards Angela. 

Picking it up, Angela gave the box a small shake, hearing the item inside rattle around. "Can I open it now?" 

Fareeha hesitated, then nodded. Angela opened the box and pulled out a bracelet with a bear claw charm.

"I was out hunting with my dad. We were resting when this bear came charging at us, but thankfully we managed to... Well, dad said we should utilise every part of the bear, it's a sign of respect. So we made that bracelet together. It's supposed to give you strength." Fareeha rushed through her explanation, unsure how Angela would react. 

Angela stared at the bracelet for a few seconds, feeling her face heat up. She had received plenty of gifts of course, but none of them had ever had this much thought or effort put into it. 

Fareeha grew more anxious with every second that passed. "I'm sorry, it was a stupid thought, I can get you something else if-" She was cut off by Angela throwing her arms around her.

"Thank you Fareeha, this is a great gift." The words were muffled by Fareeha's shirt, but she sighed in relief, resolving to write to her father to thank him for the help.

Angela held the bracelet out and Fareeha stared at it. "I thought you liked it?" Fareeha's eyebrows were scrunched together in consternation and confusion. 

Angela chuckled, stretching her arm out to Fareeha as well. "Put it on for me, silly." Fareeha blushed again as she took the bracelet with trembling fingers. 

"There. Perfect." Fareeha looked up from the bracelet into Angela's smiling face, realizing that what had once been a crush on the gorgeous blonde had turned into something more. 

-

Angela first realized something was wrong when she caught Fareeha staring forlornly into a cup of tea that was no longer steaming.

Fareeha had laughed it off and just mentioned some vague excuse about school. Angela was busy with her research, so she had let the matter go and pushed it to the back of her mind. 

But after seeing no change in Fareeha's behaviour after a month, she decided it was time to talk to the girl. That's how she ended up curled on her sofa with Fareeha, one staring at the soccer match on the television and one staring at the other girl. 

"Yes!" Fareeha raised her fist in triumph as her team scored a goal, whooping loudly with laughter. Angela smiled, anxious and unsure of how to broach the topic.

"Fareeha," Angela started, "Is there something that's been bothering you? You've been out of sorts lately." Fareeha's smile faded as she looked at Angela.

"I... Well, there has been something. And I guess it's easier for me to talk to you about it." Fareeha diverted her eyes back to the television, although her attention remained fully on Angela. 

"Is it normal for me to like girls, Angela?" 

Angela paused for a moment before exhaling in relief. She had imagined so many outcomes, an incurable genetic disease, family problems, bullying at school, but not something that could be so easily solved. 

"Oh Fareeha, everybody has the right to love whoever they want to. Girls like girls, like boys do, and it's completely fine." Fareeha seemed to relax at that sentence, so Angela continued, wanting to let Fareeha know that she could trust her. "Don't tell anybody else, but I'm seeing someone from university. A girl."

Fareeha froze, her heart clenching uncomfortably as she swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. "I see. Is she... Are you happy with her?" 

Angela smiled. "Yes. I don't see it lasting very long since I can't be with her much due to my commitments with Overwatch, but she makes me happy." 

Fareeha turned to her with a slight smile, as the whistle announcing the end of the match sounded from the television. "I'm glad then. You're a good person, and you deserve all the happiness the world has." Standing up, she put down the pillow that she had been hugging and moved to the door. "I need to go now, thanks for hearing me out, Angela."

Once the door closed behind her, Fareeha let the smile drop from her face as she walked back to her room. What had she been expecting, that Angela would want to be with her? A girl five years her junior? No, it was best if she moved on and forgot about the girl whose blue eyes had captivated her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty much the end of the age discrepancy I mentioned earlier. 
> 
> Hopefully everything makes sense, thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

Fareeha went back to Egypt, and the once constant correspondence ground to a halt as Angela busied herself with her research and Fareeha tried her best to move on from the girl that seemed to have taken up a permanent spot in her mind. 

Date after date, relationship after relationship, girl after girl, Fareeha had chalked up more relationships than most people would have in their entire lifetime. None of them serious, and all of them bore (more than) a little resemblance to the now-famous Mercy of Overwatch. But of course, Fareeha would never admit that to herself. 

After she graduated from high school, Fareeha visited the Overwatch base again, only for slightly under a week however. Her sole reason for visiting was to inform her mother of her decision to join the Egyptian army, much to Ana's displeasure. Angela had tried to talk to Fareeha, but she had resorted to the same tactics she used when she was a child, excusing herself once Angela entered the rooms she was in, and running to the safety of Gabriel. 

Gabriel might not have been privy to what was going on, but he understood what Fareeha wanted, and did his best to keep Angela away from Fareeha. 

-

"Fareeha, she's gone. You can't keep doing this, the base is only this small. She'll figure out that I'm hiding you eventually." Gabriel sighed, sinking into the armchair. 

Fareeha clambered down from her hiding spot near the rafters as she dusted her clothes off. "Come on, Uncle Gabe. If you can't hide me, nobody can. Besides, I'll be gone tomorrow and you won't have to keep making excuses for me anymore." 

Gabriel scoffed, ruffling her hair as she sat by the foot of the armchair. "What's with you and Ziegler anyway, you used to stick to her like chewing gum when you were younger."

Fareeha paused. Nobody else knew of Fareeha's preference, and she wasn't sure if Gabriel would tell her mother if she let him in on the secret. But he had always protected her and got her out of trouble when she was a child, even with her mother.

"Uncle Gabe, have you... have you ever had a secret you couldn't tell anybody else?" Fareeha whispered, unsure of how she was going to explain it to him.

Gabriel stayed silent for a minute, jaw tightening. "I understand, _mija._  You don't have to tell me, but I'll always be on your side no matter what." Fareeha threw her arms around him, trembling slightly from the effort of keeping tears away. 

Gabriel closed his eyes, hugging Fareeha back as he felt his heart sink from the recollection of memories he rather not keep. 

Fareeha left early the next morning with little fanfare, only Gabriel and Ana were there to see her off since she had told nobody else that she was leaving. Ana looked as if she was holding back tears as Fareeha climbed into the helicopter.

"Oh Gabe, what if she gets hurt?" Ana sighed.

"Ana, Fareeha is 18 now. This is what she wants, you should let her decide her path in life." Gabriel patted Ana on the back as they watched the helicopter fade away in the distance.

-

Fareeha's determination to do well in the army paid off. Through the years, she had risen through the ranks and finally been promoted to captain of her own strike team. 

Her mother had sent her letters, each one shorter than the last, until eventually, they were no more. Fareeha had been devastated to hear of her passing, and she vowed that she would join Overwatch so that she could take vengeance on the sniper that had killed her mother.

She had heard of the rumours though, the ones that spoke of discord within Overwatch, of how members were turning against each other and how the once clean and respected organization had become corrupt. She refused to believe it, the members of Overwatch were her family after all, how could she?

Still, nothing could have prepared her for the day when the Swiss headquarters of Overwatch blew up, taking the lives of Jack and Gabriel. She watched the televised broadcast of Angela Ziegler in that UN hearing where she exposed the strained relationship between the two men, and she cursed how her heart still fluttered when she saw the woman. 

She had been with many others by now of course, and she knew how to keep her emotions under control, how to restrain herself and ensure that none of her feelings showed on her face. Her squadron knew of her many relationships and constantly teased her, asking for tips on how to charm women like she did.

Fareeha decided to leave the army, her motivation for joining had disappeared, and she no longer wanted to be reminded of her mother's own achievements in the army. Helix Security International snatched her up immediately, wanting her to be the pilot of their new experimental combat suit, the Raptora.

She was successful of course, Fareeha Amari could accomplish anything that she set her mind to. After that failed mission where her captain was killed before her eyes, she realized that although she enjoyed what she did with Helix, it did not add to her dreams of protecting the innocents. 

Still, she stuck with Helix until the day when the Overwatch recall message came in on her holopad.

-

Angela Ziegler sighed, removing the latex gloves speckled with blood. She had just finished a long day of treating the citizens of the war torn province in Iraq. She nodded to the doctor who entered the tent just as she was exiting it.

Her mind wandered to the days when Overwatch was still running. She had joined them after working a short stint at a Swiss hospital, and became their head of medical research. Funds were unlimited then, and her research was fruitful, resulting in the creation of her Valkyrie swift-response suit, and other breakthroughs in the field of nanotechnology. 

It had all gone downhill when Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes had been pitted against each other for the role of Strike Commander, and Reyes had never gotten over his bitterness that Morrison had won. Eventually revolting against his command, Reyes and Morrison engaged in a furious battle at the Switzerland base and the result?

A destroyed base, and a destroyed Overwatch. Was it any wonder she was so opposed to militaristic approaches of keeping peace, Angela wondered. 

She walked around the tents set up to house the patients. Children with burns, parents with missing limbs. The horrors of war would never stop, there was always going to be people out there eager to pick a fight without considering the consequences for the innocent. 

Angela lowered her head as she pushed open the flaps to her tent. Dropping her tool bag on the rickety table, the beeping of the holopad drew her attention, and her breath hitched as she saw the recall message. 

Her first thought was to answer the call and return to Gibraltar. But the next thought followed swiftly. Why would she want to go back to an organization that clashed with her own ideals and beliefs?

-

Tariq grinned as he held up an old photo of Overwatch. "Captain, are you really going to join them?"

"Yes, Tariq." 

"My envy knows no bounds. Do you think Doctor Ziegler would rejoin them? If she does, could I visit you sometime?" 

Fareeha clicked her tongue against her teeth as she turned to face her second in command. "Tariq, you wound me. Is a pretty lady more important to you than your captain?"

Tariq made a show of rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know, Captain. You are gorgeous as well, but I think I stand more chance with the pretty doctor than with you." 

Fareeha clenched her hands as she stamped down on the growing anger inside her. "I will certainly enquire after her for you, but I highly doubt she would ever want to return to Overwatch." 

Hassan burst out laughing. "Why waste your time, Tariq? I daresay our handsome captain stands more chance with the doctor than you do!" 

Tariq conceded the point, handing the photo back to Fareeha and leaving the room with Hassan in tow. She stared at the photo in her hands. It had been taken when she was 13, and still avoiding Angela. Her thumb traced over each person in the photograph. 

Gabriel, Jack, Reinhardt, Jesse, Torbjorn, her mother and... Angela. Fareeha hadn't seen her in over 14 years, but she knew the doctor had not aged a day past 21 from newspaper clippings and television interviews. 

Angela might have moved on from Overwatch, but she was still the famous Mercy who went around saving people all around the world. Fareeha knew that keeping tabs on the doctor was not helping her attempt to get over her, but she couldn't lose the last link to Overwatch that she had. She didn't realize that Overwatch had still been keeping tabs on her prior to the recall. 

Helix had been informed of the situation, and not wanting to lose their best pilot in the Raptora Mark VI, they had allowed her to join Overwatch for a year before being required to report back to them. 

- 

Fareeha walked into the conference room, looking around at the others gathered there. She sat down, putting her duffel near her feet as she crossed her arms and assessed the others.

A giant woman with pink hair caught her eyes immediately. She knew who the woman was. Aleksandra Zaryanova, one of the world's strongest women. Fareeha had followed her weightlifting career with great interest, until the day she had withdrawn from the competition to enlist as a soldier to protect her country. She was deep in conversation with a tiny woman, dressed in winter clothing for some reason.

Letting her eyes travel, she noticed a girl talking animatedly to a young man with dreadlocks. Ah, the famous musician Lucio. Fareeha had a few of his albums in her house, left behind by her ex girlfriend. She would throw them out, but she did quite enjoy the music that he made. 

Winston and Lena were talking in the corner, not paying attention to any of the newcomers. A cyborg and an omnic stood together in another corner. The cyborg seemed agitated, but the omnic placed a hand on his arm and he immediately bowed his head. 

A giant man was in the corner, regaling those who would listen with tales of his conquests from before. Reinhardt. She had sorely missed the man, and how he had always treated her as a daughter when she was with Ana on base. 

Her heart ached as she thought of Gabriel and Jack. All the old soldiers treated Fareeha like their child, but Gabriel was the only one she had truly thought of as a second father. The fact that he was no longer here...

"Fareeha!" She turned around at the jubilant exclamation, only to be met with a bright red serape and a cowboy hat. "Jesse! Are you..." 

He nodded airily. "That's right, darlin'. Jesse McCree, back in Overwatch. Who woulda thought?" 

Fareeha chuckled, then pulled the cowboy hat low over his eyes. "Can't believe I'm tall enough to do that now. I've missed you, Jesse."

He pulled the hat back into place with a fake scowl, swatting Fareeha's hands away. "Can't believe you're almost my height. Ridiculous. My ma should have fed me what you had when you were a kid. I'd be over 6'5 by now if she had." 

Fareeha's grin grew bigger, but dimmed slightly as a thought occurred to her. "Jesse... Is Angela here?" 

"Guess ya haven't heard, she's back in her role as head of medical research. You'll be seeing her soon enough for your medical checkup."

Shit.

Fareeha was seriously reconsidering her decision to join Overwatch now. But before she could pick up her duffel and walk, no, _run_ , out of the room, Winston and Lena had stepped to the middle of the room and was now addressing them.

She listened for the first five minutes then started tuning out, worrying about the medical checkup. She had not planned on seeing Angela here. 

What was she going to say to her? What would Angela say? Fareeha shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Stop it. You've dated so many women, you can keep your composure around an old crush. Pull yourself together, Fareeha." 

Jesse heard the last bit and leaned over. "What's going on over there, some internal debate about seeing Angela again?" He smirked as Fareeha wriggled uncomfortably in her seat.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She refused to make eye contact with Jesse, choosing instead to stare straight at Winston. 

-

Jesse knew that Fareeha knew _exactly_  what he was talking about. Everyone on base did. It had been so obvious, the way the girl had stuck to Angela's side when she was younger. Anybody with eyes could tell that Fareeha looked at her differently. 

Well, anybody but Angela. She was even more oblivious than Fareeha, but Jesse supposed that back then Angela just saw the teenage Fareeha as a little girl. Nobody could deny that Fareeha had grown up well though. 

She was tall, almost as tall as Jesse now, and she was definitely a stunner. She still kept her dark hair at shoulder length but it looked silky and well kept. Something that had startled Jesse was the tattoo under her right eye, the same _udjat_  that Ana had under her left eye had made its way under Fareeha's right. He wondered if it was some sort of Amari tradition, considering they were well known as a family of soldiers. 

He glanced up as Genji left the consulting room and held the door open for him. "Well thanks, partner." He walked in and stifled a smile as Angela gasped. 

"Jesse!" 

He held his arms out as Angela rushed forward to hug him. "Oh Angie, it's been far too long." 

Angela tightened the hug before letting him go, wiping a tear from her eyes. " _Ja_ , it has. And I hope you've stopped smoking those smelly cigars, Jesse." 

Jesse offered up a nervous laugh as he took off his serape and shirt, steeling himself for the incoming lecture on how he has neglected his body. 

"Well, if you're this happy to see me, I'm not sure how you'll react to the next patient of yours."

"Who is it? Reinhardt?" 

Jesse shook his head and smiled cryptically. "You'll see." 

Angela finished her checkup and ushered Jesse out with a stern warning to take better care of his body, and froze as she saw who Jesse had been referring to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, my apologies for this chapter being a week late. I was swamped with work last week and by the time I realized that I missed my update day (Thursday) it was pretty late so I decided to just post this chapter a day early to make it up. I'll make sure to be more organized next week.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy it!


	4. Chapter 4

Fareeha stood uncomfortably, looking at the doctor who had been staring at her for the last minute. "Doctor, shall we proceed with the checkup?"

Those words knocked Angela out of her stupor. "Y-yes, please come in." Angela practically dashed in and busied herself with her tools, refusing to look at Fareeha. 

"Let's begin." Angela turned, tools in her hands as she took in the sight of Fareeha removing her tshirt. _Mein gott._  Angela's mouth dried up as she took in Fareeha's tanned skin, her abs and those arms with muscles that looked rock hard. Her fingers slipped on her tools and they tumbled to the ground. 

Fareeha was on her knees immediately, picking them up. Angela watched as the muscles in Fareeha's back contracted and she felt her stomach contract along with them. She passed them to a disoriented Angela. "I'm sure you don't need me to tell you, but those need to be disinfected." Angela nodded mutely as she turned and dumped them into a dish, picking up new equipment.

"Sit down, Captain." Her voice was not her own as she let her years of experience take over, swabbing with disinfectant, taking blood samples and checking Fareeha's vitals.

"Since when were you so formal with me?" Fareeha asked, teasing obvious in her voice as Angela flushed even redder. "Since I haven't seen you since you were 18, and since we haven't talked in over 14 years." Angela cringed as she heard how bitter she sounded.

Fareeha leaned back, a little satisfied that Angela had been affected. "So you do care."

"Of course I care! You were my best friend, Fareeha! And you just left me like that, like our friendship meant nothing to you." Angela's hands trembled as she held back tears, remembering how upset she had been when Fareeha had stopped answering her letters. 

Fareeha lowered her head in shame. It was true, she had done something that she promised she wouldn't. "I'm sorry, Angela. Things were hard for me then, and in the heat of the moment I thought that staying away would have been best." Omission of certain details was better than lying out right, wasn't it?

Angela sighed heavily. "I guess I understand. But things are going to be different now, right?" A hint of desperation laced her voice as she turned to keep her tools. 

Fareeha smiled and nodded, pulling her tshirt over her head as she stood up. "I'll see you around then, doctor." She reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind Angela's ear, hand brushing gently against her cheek. Fareeha spun around and exited the room, leaving Angela alone with her thoughts. 

She couldn't believe it. 14 years without seeing Fareeha, and she had transformed into someone that checked every box on Angela's list for attractiveness. Tall, tanned skin, dark hair and those _muscles_. She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. She couldn't be having this kind of thoughts towards her patient, much less one she watched growing up. 

Their 5 year age difference suddenly felt much bigger to Angela than it had in the past. 

-

Loud music thumped through the speakers as bodies slid against each other on the dance floor. Fareeha gave the place a sweeping glance making sure all of her friends were still alive, before taking another swig from her glass. 

Jesse had insisted on a night out, and so the entirety of Overwatch had been forced to the nearest club for some 'relaxation and fun'. Fareeha folded her arms and leaned against the bar as she scanned the club again, noticing the lack of a certain blonde. Just as she was about to get up and look for her, Angela dropped onto the seat next to her. 

"Hey Fareeha." Angela mumbled, placing a hand on Fareeha's arm to steady herself. Fareeha observed her, the slight swaying of her torso. 

"Are you drunk, Angela? Do you need me to escort you back?" Fareeha would have been glad for any excuse to leave the club. While she did occasionally visit these places, she didn't like how people would let down their guard over alcohol and pretty girls. 

Before Angela could reply, a shadow fell across Fareeha's face and she looked up. A girl in a tight fitting dress stood there, smiling shyly. "Hello, I think you're gorgeous, and I would love to buy you a drink and get on the dance floor with you."

Fareeha stared at the girl, unsure of how to reply to such a forward attempt. Something was off, the girl looked uncomfortable and something clicked in Fareeha's mind. 

Leaning forward, she whispered into the girl's ear. "Is this a dare?" The girl looked immensely relieved and nodded. 

"Stay here." Fareeha instructed Angela as she took the girl's hand and led her to the dance floor. She kept a decent amount of distance between their bodies as she danced with the girl. 

"This kind of dare is harmless, but take care of yourself. Not everybody here has good intentions." Fareeha smiled at the blushing girl as she nodded. 

Angela watched as she fought against the jealousy that was threatening to erupt. She hadn't heard Fareeha asking if it was a dare, and the blood had drained from her face as the two of them had went to the dance floor. 

She knew she shouldn't be feeling this way, but she couldn't help it. Angela had known Fareeha for most of her life, and the sight of Fareeha dancing with someone else made her gut uneasy. 

Once the dance was over, Fareeha walked the girl back to her table. Suddenly, a hand tugged on Fareeha's and she turned to see Angela standing next to her. " _Schatz_ , let's go. I'm tired." 

Thankful for the excuse, Fareeha apologized to the girl and left to pay for their drinks. Angela gave the girl a onceover, her heart pounding from the combination of alcohol and jealousy, she did look quite pretty in the dim light of the club. 

"Stay away from her." Angela gave the girl a glare as she walked over to Fareeha and took her hand.

Fareeha was confused, but held on nonetheless, pulling Angela out of the club and into the street. "Are you okay?" Angela nodded, holding onto Fareeha to keep her balance. 

With a chuckle, Fareeha pulled Angela into her arms and swept her off her feet. "Put me down, Fareeha!" Angela shrieked as Fareeha laughed. "It's much faster for us to get back to base this way, and I don't want you to risk falling flat on your face in your condition." Starting the walk back to base, she sneaked glances down as Angela fell asleep in her arms. 

She noted how long Angela's eyelashes were, the steady breaths that she took, the softness of her skin, and Fareeha despaired. She was never going to get over Angela like this. 

Once they reached the base, Fareeha headed towards Angela’s room. Locked, as expected. Well, it was worth a try asking Athena if she could override the lock. 

"Athena, can you unlock Angela's room please?"

"Captain Amari, you're on the list of people Doctor Zeigler has granted room access to, please proceed." 

Huh. Fareeha mused over the revelation as she gently lowered Angela onto the bed and tucked her in.

Fareeha cupped Angela's face gently, thumb stroking her cheek. Angela stirred and Fareeha froze, not wanting to be caught in this position. 

Thankfully, Angela's breathing evened out, and so did Fareeha's heart rate. Getting to her feet, she quickly exited the room.

Making a sandwich for herself, she pondered over the day's events. Nah, she shouldn't read too much into Angela's actions. 

-

The ray of sunlight shining directly onto Angela's face woke her up the next morning, none the worse for wear with the exception of a parched mouth. She swung her legs over the bed and sat up, instantly regretting her decision as the room spun around her. She didn't even drink _that_  much last night.

Her door slid open and Fareeha walked in. "Oh good, you're finally awake. I was going to bring a doctor over if you still wouldn't wake up, but I realized that you're the only doctor around here." Angela rolled her eyes at the grin Fareeha gave her and accepted the cup of ice water that Fareeha held out, gulping thirstily. 

"Are you feeling up for training? Otherwise I can just go train with Aleks." Fareeha sat next to Angela on the bed, observing her. Angela bit back a groan, remembering that she had agreed to train with Fareeha today to see how compatible they could be on the battlefield. She almost slapped herself for wondering how compatible they would be _outside_ of it. 

Angela sighed, placing the now empty cup on her bedside table. "Yeah I can do it. Let me get ready. See you at the training ground." Fareeha nodded, leaving Angela to her own devices as she went to get suited up. 

The training was uneventful, if one could count Angela staring at Fareeha in admiration most of the session as uneventful. The blue and gold metal gleaming in the sunlight and the precision of which Fareeha launched her rockets? Angela advocated peace, but she certainly was grateful that Fareeha seemed to be more than capable of protecting herself.

After the session, Fareeha and Aleksandra were standing by the racks, the bigger woman helping Fareeha pull her armour off. Apparently it was designed to be put on easily for emergencies, but taking it off was a whole other matter. 

"Angela," Fareeha whined, "help me take off my backplate please!" Aleksandra chuckled, pulling Fareeha's gauntlets off. Angela stepped closer to Fareeha, wrapping her fingers around the edges of the backplate. She tugged, but it refused to come off. 

"How do you ever get your suit off by yourself?" Angela grunted, pulling harder at the piece of armour. "I can't. Someone always needs to be around to help me get it completely off." Fareeha removed more pieces of the armour as Angela finally managed to yank the backplate off. 

"Jesus, I have no idea how Aleksandra can make it look so effortless." Angela flexed her fingers, numb from the amount of pressure they had been applying on the armour. Speaking of which, where was the Russian...? She had suddenly disappeared while Angela was removing the backplate for Fareeha. 

Fareeha laughed, pulling off the last few pieces of armour. "Well, she is a lot stronger than you or me. Maybe I'll just leave the armour removal to her from now on." Stepping out of her boots, she looked up to see Angela staring at her. "Is something wrong?"

Angela couldn't tear her eyes away. The black heat resistant suit that Fareeha wore under her armour was skin tight, leaving nothing to her imagination. Fareeha cleared her throat, enjoying the blush that crept on Angela's face.

"You should wear some clothes," Angela stammered, "I mean, you already are wearing clothes but that's not really... Ah _gott_ , what am I saying?" Fareeha laughed and nodded. "I know what you mean. I'm used to removing my armour in front of my team already, so I didn't think it would affect anybody. I'll keep some clothes in the armoury in future."

Angela nodded, face flaming as she fled the armoury in search of the showers. She certainly needed a long, cold one after today. 

Fareeha whistled a light tune while stowing away the pieces of her armour, a smile on her face as she played back the memory of a flustered Angela. 

-

There hadn't been much action at all. Overwatch was still technically illegal so Winston had to choose their operations carefully, only doing those that were absolutely essential. And so Fareeha and Angela found themselves with the task of visiting the Overwatch safe houses around the world and ensuring that they were well stocked and habitable. 

"This is so boring," Fareeha whined, sitting on the couch with a mug of tea, "but I suppose we got one of the better tasks." She certainly did not envy the team that was assigned to check the sewage drains and plumbing. 

Angela was dressed in a tank top and shorts to combat the heat, but still drops of sweat made their way down her neck. "It is insanely hot though, I thought Iraq was bad enough." She closed the book she was reading, using it to fan herself. 

Eyes followed Angela's every movement, unsure of what to say as Angela stretched. "Well, so what have you been doing in the past 18 years that we haven't talked?" 

Fareeha hummed, going into detail about her military life, and how she had continued on to Helix. Angela listened, tsk-ing at certain parts of Fareeha's stories, but impressed nonetheless. 

"That sounds dangerous, but I have to admit I'm impressed by how much you've accomplished." Angela patted Fareeha's arm, getting a small smile in response. 

"Thanks Angela. What about you? I know you've continued helping those in need, but what of your personal life? Are you still with that girl from university?" Fareeha hadn't meant for it to come out that way, but once the words left her mouth, she realized how it might have sounded more than just a passing question.

"Ah well, nothing much has happened to be honest. We broke up shortly after I graduated, and I did congratulate her upon her graduation a few years later, but since then I haven't been seeing anyone since nobody was as tall and muscled as her." Angela joked, chuckling.  

Fareeha chewed on her lip, Angela had just given her more information than she realized. She hadn't known it back then, but now she did. That girl that Angela dated was tall and muscled. Fareeha could be considered tall and muscled as well, right?

She certainly was taller than Angela, and even though she wasn't as big as Zarya, her muscles were pretty defined. Didn't that mean that Fareeha might stand a chance, if that was Angela's type? 

That 5 year age difference suddenly didn't seem as big as it had to Fareeha in the past. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next two months, Fareeha and Angela travelled the globe, almost as if they were on vacation. Restocking the safe houses never took more than a day, so they had entire days to themselves where they would explore the cities and even the more rural areas, if time allowed. 

Even as they got closer, Angela found herself wondering why Fareeha always seemed so distant. She would invite Angela out for dates in the various cities they went and they would have fun, but the days following those were always confusing, with Fareeha choosing not to speak more than a few sentences to Angela. 

Enough was enough, Angela decided, resolving to speak to Fareeha about it if she reverted back to her cold self tomorrow after their date. Although, could it even be called a 'date'? Fareeha had asked her out, yes, but there was never anything overtly romantic about their dates. It was more akin to a friendly outing than dates between two people who were attracted to each other. 

They would tour the city, have a meal, chat and laugh about their lives, but there was never any indicator that Fareeha was at all interested in being with Angela. She would flirt and leave her hand lingering on Angela's arms and back, but Fareeha simply seemed to not have any interest in a relationship. 

Angela wasn't sure about what she wanted either. The attraction she felt for the woman was unsettling, the daughter of an old friend, yet everything felt right when she was with Fareeha. She laughed harder than she had in years, and the smiles Fareeha put on her face were always wide enough that she felt like her face would crack if she stretched her lips any further.

"Fareeha, tell me more about your past relationships." Angela blurted out when they were both seated at the table having breakfast. Fareeha froze, spoon still halfway from the bowl to her mouth. 

Angela could slap herself. Where was her tact? “I mean… You never talk about any relationships you had. Wasn’t there anyone?” 

Fareeha snorted. “There were plenty, just… didn’t have a reason to mention them.” She continued shovelling cereal into her mouth, hoping beyond hope that her tan would cover the blush that was threatening to explode across her cheeks.

“How many have you had?”

“Nine.” Fareeha paused, unsure why she had let that slip out of her. 

A gasp came from Angela, visible surprised.

“Nine? How did you even get that many girls?” 

Fareeha smirked, trying to calm herself down. “Guess now you know how much the girls like me!” She chortled, flexing her biceps as she mentally cringed.

Angela tore her eyes away from Fareeha’s arms and pretended to be engrossed in the book. “Tell me about the last one then.”

“I… It was in the army. We went through training together, but we ended up in different platoons. We dated for a year.” 

Fareeha paused, remembering the girl. The first relationship that she thought might have lasted, the first girl that didn’t resemble Angela in any way at all. 

With her short black hair, tanned skin and shy smile, Ghaida had been the one, or so Fareeha thought. 

Angela tucked her legs under her, propping her chin up on her palm as she gazed at Fareeha. “So what happened?”

Fareeha took another spoon of cereal, chewing slowly. “I started feeling that she was getting too close to another soldier in her platoon. I brought it up to her and she reassured me that I was worrying over nothing. Two weeks later, we broke up and she got together with him barely a week later. 

Angela bit her lip, both unsure how to comfort Fareeha as well as to quell the anger welling up in her chest.

“It’s fine Angela, it’s been years, I’m over it now.”

Clearly not, Angela thought to herself. She had never been cheated on, but she knew that the psychological effects would definitely affect Fareeha over a long period of time. And Fareeha hadn’t dated anyone since, so perhaps she wasn’t as over the girl as she thought. 

Trying to steer the conversation back to safer ground, Angela hummed in response. “So, where are we going tomorrow?” 

Fareeha stood up with her bowl and spoon and walked over to the kitchen sink. “I thought we could go and check out the Eiffel Tower, we are in Paris after all and it’s our last city. Winston should be okay with us taking some time off.”

Hesitating, Angela wondered if Fareeha knew that she had always wanted to visit the tower. But how could she have known? 

“Sounds good, I guess you’ll have everything planned out?” 

“When have I never?” Fareeha smirked, going back into her bedroom. 

Angela sighed and closed her book, the image of Fareeha’s biceps still burned into her mind. She was very surprised though, nine relationships? Fareeha was good looking for sure, but to have dated nine people by the age of 32, that meant that most of the relationships hadn’t lasted very long. 

Unsure whether that meant that Fareeha was a player or that she had commitment issues, Angela decided to put it at the back of her mind and revisit it if there was ever a need to. 

-

Angela lifted the cup of coffee to her lips, sighing appreciatively as she got her dose of caffeine. Fareeha smiled, stirring her own coffee as she dropped a spoon of sugar in. 

“I’m not really a coffee person, but I suppose good coffee is hard to pass up.” 

Angela nodded fervently as she downed the last drops of her coffee. 

“Let’s head to the Eiffel Tower once you’re done, Fareeha.” 

Fareeha coughed, surprised at how quickly Angela had finished her coffee, and nodded, sipping her coffee as fast as she could.

A soft hand covered her own and she looked up to see Angela smiling widely. "It's alright Fareeha, take your time."

Heat settled on Fareeha's face as she discreetly pulled her hand away and nodded, avoiding Angela's eyes. She had been debating with herself for a while now, unsure whether to tell Angela outright about her feelings or to avoid them entirely. 

If Angela had shown even the slightest bit of disinterest in her, she would have decided to lock her feelings away, but Angela hadn't. Instead, Angela had flirted back with Fareeha, and gotten visibly affected whenever Fareeha touched her.

"So while we're here, tell me about the rest of your exes?" 

Fareeha sighed, Angela was not to be deterred when she was set on something. And so it began, from the first girl all the way to Ghaida. Angela listened quietly for the most part, and once Fareeha had finished talking, she nodded. 

"You have a thing for blondes, huh?" 

Fareeha choked, waving her hands frantically. Angela thumped her fist on Fareeha's back a few times, trying not to smile at the discomfort on the other girl's face. 

"I... Well, yes, I suppose I do." Fareeha felt her face heating up as she stood up to pay for the bill. 

As Angela and Fareeha walked to the structure and took the lift up, Fareeha could feel herself sweating. This was the last city on the mission plans; after today, they might not have time alone like this again. 

Leaning against the rail and looking at the beautiful scenery beneath them, Fareeha steeled herself to bring up the topic, but the words out of Angela’s mouth stunned her.

“Would you ever date a coworker again, Fareeha?” 

“I… What?” 

Angela laughed at seeing Fareeha speechless. “I was just wondering if a strict soldier like yourself would compromise the mission for love, if it came to that.” 

Fareeha kept her eyes off Angela, pondering her words. She would compromise the mission for the soldiers under her command, she learnt that lesson in Helix, but if it was for a selfish reason like love? Would that be fair to the others? 

“I guess not. I would sacrifice myself for the mission, or to keep my friends safe, but I don’t know if I could be selfish enough to endanger my friends for such a personal reason.” 

With that, Fareeha decided that revealing her feelings for Angela would only affect Overwatch missions, and most likely their friendship. And so she stayed silent, the wind whipping through her hair as she turned away from Angela. 

-

Angela couldn't figure out what she had done wrong. They had a good enough time at the cafe, and she thought everything went well at the Eiffel Tower, but then after that everything had gone south. 

Now they were back in the safehouse, Fareeha locked in her room while Angela soaked in the bathtub. Her skin was getting wrinkled, but the warm water eased the tension that was locked in her shoulders ever since the Eiffel Tower. 

Was it because Angela had teased Fareeha for liking blondes? She couldn't lie, she had felt a surge of hope once she realized that most of Fareeha's ex girlfriends were blonde. Surely, it meant that she stood a chance, if Fareeha liked blondes? 

But with how things were now, Angela wasn't sure if Fareeha even saw her that way. She sighed, lowering herself into the tub until the water rose over her head and closed her eyes. 

-

"Oh come on, Ange, you can't possibly be saying that nothing happened between you and Fareeha in Paris. It's the city of love, for Christ's sake." Jesse swallowed a mouthful of scotch, before reaching out for the bottle. 

Angela sighed, looking into the tumbler of amber liquid in front of her. "She flirts with me, Jesse, constantly. But she never seems to want to do anything more, or be anything more."

"She's scared of jeopardizing everything. She pretty much said so herself at the Eiffel Tower, didn't she?" Jesse shook his head. "I still think you should talk to her about it."

Angela scoffed. "What if she doesn't like me that way? Then it's going to be even more awkward between us."

She threw back the glass of scotch, wincing at the way it burned her throat on the way down. "I don't even know if I should be feeling this way for her. She's my patient, and my friend's daughter. It's unprofessional, and what would Ana say if she were still around?"

Angela lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes. 

Jesse took Angela's hand and held onto it tightly. "Listen to me, Ange. You deserve happiness. You've been alone for so many years helping other people that you leave no time for yourself. If Fareeha makes you happy, I support you a hundred percent. So what if she's your patient, so what if other people object? What matters is that the two of you are happy."

He hesitated, unsure if he should mention Fareeha’s childhood crush. 

-

Fareeha couldn't sleep. She groaned, rolling onto her side and checking the clock. Midnight. 

Throwing the blanket back, she swung her legs off the bed and sat up in frustration. Might as well go make a cup of tea since she wasn’t going to get any sleep. 

She threw on a sweatshirt and dragged her feet across the cold tiled floors. Since their return from Paris, Fareeha had dutifully avoided prolonged periods of time spent in contact with the other woman. What was Angela doing, Fareeha wondered.

Would she be in her lab doing research? Even when she was a child, she knew that the first place to look for Angela was the medical labs. 

The woman worked too hard, and Fareeha was always wondering how Angela managed to not burn herself out. 

She turned the corner, and froze as she heard a familiar voice from the pantry. “-she would be extremely angry if she found out I told you about her feelings, Angela."

Fareeha swallowed hard, suddenly feeling her stomach drop. What was Jesse talking about? Or rather, who?

There was a sniffle, and Fareeha felt her heart follow her stomach. Was Angela crying? Fuck it, Fareeha thought as she burst into the pantry and stared at the two of them sitting at the table. 

Dropping to her knee in front of Angela, Fareeha took the hand that Jesse had let go of. “What’s wrong?” She tried to catch Angela’s eye but the woman seemed determined to not look at Fareeha. 

Fareeha looked over at Jesse and he mouthed a few words at her before he quickly left the pantry. She stifled a groan as she turned back to Angela. 

“Talk to me, please. What’s going on?” Fareeha gently cupped Angela’s cheek, trying to turn her face around to face her. Angela shook her head, still not trusting her voice. “Do you want me to leave?”

Angela shook her head even harder, gripping Fareeha’s hand tight. She desperately wanted to look at Fareeha, but the fear of her tears falling stopped Angela. 

She heard Fareeha sigh before pulling her hand away from Angela’s. Before Angela could protest, Fareeha had her arms wrapped around Angela. 

Fareeha felt Angela melt into the hug and she smiled, despite her worry. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m better now.” Angela turned her body around so she could burrow her head into the crook of Fareeha’s neck. 

Threading her fingers through the blonde locks, Fareeha relaxed slightly, inhaling the faint scent of antiseptic and lavender. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Angela shook her head, wanting to stay in Fareeha’s warmth just a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, this is the last chapter that I have written. Between that and the fact that work is getting hectic again, I'll probably update once every two weeks instead of every week. Hopefully that gives me more time to push out better chapters :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I'm so sorry about how late (and short) this chapter is. Work has been insane, life has been insane, so I've decided that I'm not going to promise a date for the next chapter, but this story is closing soon! Just one more twist left in the story ;)

 Fareeha exhaled in disappointment, her fingers rubbing strands of Angela's hair as her other hand rubbed up and down Angela's back comfortingly. 

"I couldn't sleep." She admitted to the blonde, already anticipating the question to come. 

"Why?" 

Perhaps it was time. 

"I was thinking about you." 

Angela pulled back, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"Why would you be thinking about me, Fareeha?" 

"Because I don't know what to do." 

Fareeha tried to keep her heart rate steady as she looked into blue eyes and continued. 

"I like you, Angela. I've liked you ever since I met you when I was 13. You're gorgeous and-" 

Her voice cracked as she took a deep breath.

"And you make me happy. Like nobody ever has. You're smart and compassionate and _god_ , this is such an understatement but you're always on my mind. I want to be the one to protect you, to hold you, to wake up next to you and tell you that you're beautiful every day." 

Angela bit her lower lip as she stared at Fareeha talking animatedly. Noticing the lack of input, Fareeha looked back at Angela uncertainly. 

"I mean, I understand if you don't feel the same way. It won't change anything between us, you're still my best friend and I'd never put you in an awkward situation so-"

Angela pulled Fareeha closer, a wide smile on her face. 

"I like you too, Fareeha." 

-

Jesse smiled, pushing himself off the wall as he sucked on his cigar. 

"Finally, they can stop tip-toeing around each other now." 

He shook his head as he walked back to his room, trying hard not to let his spurs clink against the floor. 

-

Fareeha cracked open an eye, squinting in the bright daylight that streamed in past her blinds. There was a weight on her left arm, and she clenched her fist, trying to get rid of the pins and needles. 

Turning her head slightly, she found her nose buried in a mess of hair. Panic gripped her before memories of the night came back to her. Angela's sniffs, the warmth of her arms, and the smell of lavender. The same scent Fareeha was currently inhaling.

Relaxing, she blinked the sleep away as she looked down, taking in the other woman. Angela's head was resting on her shoulder, an arm slung over Fareeha's stomach with their legs entangled. 

Before she could help it, her lips had already curved up into a smile. How many times had she dreamed of this? Of being able to wake up to Angela in her bed, in her arms? And here they were. 

A soft groan came from the other woman as she shifted, moving closer to Fareeha. 

"Angela?" 

Her eyes flickered open at the whisper, a sleepy smile growing on her face. 

"Good morning, _schatz_. Is your arm okay?" 

"Good morning. My arm's a little dead, but that's okay, it's worth it."

Angela let out a little huff of laughter as she moved Fareeha's arm out from under her and settled back on the bed, pulling Fareeha closer. 

"You're beautiful." 

"What?" 

"Just doing what I said I would do last night. You're beautiful."

Angela shook her head, the smile growing into a grin. 

"Thank you, Fareeha. Can we go back to sleep? I want a little more time with you." 

Brushing her lips across Angela's forehead, Fareeha wrapped both arms around her and closed her eyes. 

-

The next few days were spent tiptoeing around everybody else in the base. On one hand, Fareeha and Angela didn't want to announce to the entire world that they were seeing each other, but it was so _damn_  obvious to anybody who looked at them.

"So, I won the pot right?" Jesse whispered, sneaking a glance at the two women on the couch talking animatedly. 

"No Jesse, we don't even have confirmation that they're together!" Hana whispered back, nudging Lucio.

"Ah, well... If we get confirmation then Jesse would win, but otherwise..." Lucio grinned sheepishly.

Jesse rolled his eyes and looked over at the couch.

"Hey Angie, remember that guy I mentioned who was interested in you? He wants to take you out for dinner." Jesse paused, eyes flickering over to Fareeha to see her lips tightening. 

"What guy, Jesse? You didn't mention anybody to me." Angela's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"The tall, tanned guy with really toned muscles!" 

Fareeha clenched her fists, eyes narrowing at Jesse. She knew what he was playing at. 

"God damn it Jesse, fine, you win! I took your advice that night, okay? Now stop it." 

Angela turned to Fareeha, even more confused than ever. 

"Later." Fareeha uttered in a low voice with a slight shake of her head. 

Jesse crowed in delight, holding his hands out to Hana and Lucio. 

"No way, you cheated! You told Fareeha to get a move on and ask Angela, didn't you!" Hana slapped the money onto Jesse's outstretched hand, stomping her foot in anger.

Jesse shook his head as Fareeha sighed. 

"What did he say to you, Fareeha?" Lucio chuckled. 

"Ugh, he just mouthed three words to me. 'Don't mess up'". 

"Then you guys got together just like that?" 

Fareeha paused. Were they together? She hadn't spoken to Angela about whether or not they were going to put a label on it just yet. 

"We did." Angela surprised Fareeha, putting a hand over hers and giving the rest of the room a slight smile. 

Hana groaned and stormed out of the room, Lucio and Jesse following her, but not before they gave both Fareeha and Angela a big grin and thumbs up. 

"We are?" 

"Well, if you want it. I just said it because I thought I owed Jesse for nudging you that night." Angela smiled, starting to pull her hand away. 

Fareeha quickly reached out and interlaced their fingers together. "Of course I want it. I mean, I..."

"I will always want you." Fareeha finished quickly, as Angela smiled and leaned in to press her lips against Fareeha's.


End file.
